Frontier Airlines Pilots Say They Were Prevented From Breastfeeding at Work

The ACLU has filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of four female pilots.

Sexism in the skies is nothing new. Now, four female pilots for Frontier Airlines are accusing the company of not providing accommodations that would allow them to continue breastfeeding upon returning to work post-birth. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Colorado, and the law firm Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP filed discrimination charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—the federal agency that enforces federal laws against the discrimination of employees, including reasons related to pregnancy—on the pilots' behalf.

The pilots are Shannon Kiedrowski, Brandy Beck, Erin Zielinski, and Randi Freyer, who have a combined 35 years at the airline. “We love our jobs as pilots for Frontier Airlines and we shouldn’t have to choose between our jobs and breast-feeding our children,” said Kiedrowski in a released statement. “But because of the lack of accommodations for pregnancy and breast-feeding, that is exactly the position each of us has been put in. We’re bringing this complaint because no woman should have to go through what we went through.”

According to the ACLU, Frontier requires that pregnant pilots take 8-10 weeks of unpaid leave before their due date, and allows a total of 120 days of unpaid maternity leave. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that, generally, any pregnant woman should avoid air travel after 36 weeks of pregnancy, or 32 weeks for twins; and that's for passengers.) Frontier's most current contract outlines other requirements imposed upon female pilots who become pregnant: She must notify the Chief Pilot's office of her pregnancy within 14 days of confirming it with her doctor; she must request maternity leave at 32 weeks along; and after giving birth, she must notify the Chief Pilot's office in writing, also within 14 days. During unpaid maternity leave (which, unbelievably, is in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act), pilots have the option to use paid sick days and/or vacation days so that they are not without a paycheck. All four of the pilots say that the lengthy, forced unpaid leave in their third trimesters with no temporary reassignment options (i.e. a desk job) caused them financial harm. Barring any medical complications, women in most other professions are permitted to work up until the end of their pregnancies.

When Kiedrowski, Beck, Zielinski, and Freyer returned to work, they say they were not provided with a designated place to breastfeed on the planes or at airports—a particularly dangerous scenario for women on a pumping schedule. Not having a private place to extract breastmilk can result in medical complications, including mastitis, a breast infection that can lead to pain, swelling, and fever. Three of the women suffered from the condition, which they allege was caused by Frontier failing to provide a place for them to pump on schedule. Despite approaching their employer with their concerns, according to the ACLU, the pilots "were met with indifference or outright hostility."

“Each of us tried to work with Frontier to find a solution, but unfortunately our efforts went nowhere,” said Beck, a first officer at Frontier for more than a decade. “Because of Frontier’s failure to address the needs of pilots who are breast-feeding on a policy level, each of us has been left to figure out these problems on her own.”

Additionally, Kiedrowski says she was 'disciplined' after her co-pilot complained that she used her breast pump on a plane, and
Zielinski alleges that she was forced to stop breastfeeding earlier than she would have liked.

“Currently, only six percent of commercial pilots are women. Discriminatory policies such as these across the airline industry contribute to this extremely low number,” said Hannah Sholl, counsel at Holwell Shuster & Goldberg. “We hope that Frontier takes the necessary steps to ensure that these discriminatory policies are ended once and for all.”

The ACLU says that Frontier's policies violate sex discrimination laws "because they treat pregnancy and breastfeeding less favorably than other medical conditions or disabilities and have a disproportionate effect on women." Now, it's asking the EEOC to force Frontier to 1) better accommodate female pilots who are pregnant or breastfeeding by allowing longer unpaid leave that would enable female pilots to continue breastfeeding; and 2) provide designated areas for breastfeeding and pumping both on planes and in airports.

“If Frontier wants to attract and retain the most qualified pilots, it’s going to have to recognize the needs of its pilots who have babies,” said Galen Sherwin, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project.

Frontier Airlines responded with the following statement: "Our policies and practices comply with all federal and state laws as well as with the relevant provisions of the collective bargaining agreement between Frontier and its pilots group. While there are many work places that might allow for nursing mothers to express breast milk during a break from work activities, the duties of a commercial airline pilot present unique circumstances. We have made good-faith efforts to identity and provide rooms and other secure locations for use by breast-feeding pilots during their duty travel."